Thistledown “Charming Man” Old Vine Grenache Magnum 2024

97 points Robert Parker
The 2024 The Charming Man Single Vineyard Grenache hails from Clarendon, on Brooks Road. The "Charming Man" is, of course, Bernard Smart, who sadly passed away in October 2023; his son, Wayne, continues the legacy there. The wine opens with blood orange, fresh lavender, crushed rose petals and frisky acidity. This is ferrous and bloody, layered with dried citrus and north African spices, which are no doubt driven from the iron-rich clays with siltstone and quartz of Clarendon. It is penetrating and intense, spicy and quite firm in its tannin profile, yet it is pliable, agile and exciting.

96 points The Wine Front
96+ point

94 points James Suckling
A focused, lively, chiseled and attractive grenache with aromas of dried strawberries, dried raspberries, dried herbs and warm spices. Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Seductive with a velvety stream of succulent berries. Plenty of vitality toward the precise and linear finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.